For Degree Program Administrators:

Search Tips

For more precise search results when searching for an institution, try using a key term from the institution's name (e.g. Missouri when looking for the University of Missouri) or writing the entire name of the institution in quotation marks (e.g. "University of Missouri").

This is a great department where students can have experiences that will enrich their lives and prepare them for the future. Our programs provide the exciting opportunity to study individual development, family relationships and consumer issues as they affect each other, and to learn how to improve the quality of life for individuals and families in many settings. Our mission is to provide high quality undergraduate and graduate instruction to help students develop greater personal understanding and prepare for successful professional careers. For those who are exploring the professional options provided in this major, we are available to answer your questions and to help you make an informed decision.

The Family Science and Human Development Department provides students with a greater understanding of multiple ways of knowing families and children in various contexts. It enables students to critically analyze the literature and to keep abreast of trends in research. The faculty creates a learning environment that supports and encourages the development of forward thinking practitioners and educators who work with families and children in a variety of settings. The department of Family and Child Studies examines multiple ways of knowing families and individuals over the life course in various socio-cultural contexts. Power, diversity, and social justice are analyzed through an interdisciplinary and critical approach.

The mission of the Department of Human Development and Family Science is (a) to provide students with a comprehensive, integrated knowledge of families and individuals across the life span as appropriate preparation for careers in human services and/or graduate study, and (b) to conduct research on the variety of factors and contexts relevant to human and family development. The goal of the Department is to enhance the quality of life for individuals of all ages through teaching, research, and service in a manner consistent with the University's land grant mission. The Department recognizes the importance of an ecological approach to the study of human development and families, and utilizes a systemic approach in teaching, research, and service. Interactions of individuals and families with the economic, political, judicial, religious, and educational systems are emphasized. The Department also serves as a resource base for citizens of North Dakota in the area of individual and family life.

The degree programs offered through the department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences are interdisciplinary, applied social science programs designed to prepare you to enter a career in research or academia, human services, youth professions, family life education, cooperative extension, or community development in a public, private, or nonprofit organization.

HDFS is a leader in applied interdisciplinary scholarship focused on reducing risk and enhancing resilience within individuals and among families across cultures and generations. The distinguishing feature of HDFS is the interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary integration of instruction, research and application between and among human development, family science, early childhood education, gerontology, and marriage and family therapy. Because integrative approaches are necessarily broad, the department's focus is on the many ways resilience may be discovered, developed, mastered, and maintained across human processes and contexts.

The Department of Child and Family Studies prepares students at the undergraduate and graduate levels to become competent professionals and effective family members. Our primary areas of emphasis focus on children, youth, families, and early learning in diverse contexts. A central foundation for our programs is the idea that scientific inquiry provides the most effective means to improve the welfare of children, youth, and families.A notable feature of both our undergraduate and graduate programs is the opportunity for outreach and engagement experiences in area communities. Students complete intensive semester-long experiences in a wide range of community placements including mental health, medical facilities, public and private schools, and intervention programs. Students also have the opportunity to join a research team of faculty and students.

The primary emphases of the department are human development and family processes within the context of larger sociocultural systems. The distinguishing feature of HDFS is this contextual focus. Individual lifespan development is viewed as transpiring within a web of close relationships/family relationships, and family systems are seen as both context for individual and interpersonal behaviors and as units nested in larger sociocultural environments. Our unique niche is a commitment to family diversity and a multicultural perspective in research, teaching, and service. In each of these areas, we focus on the diversity that characterizes human development within the family context. Because we define family diversity and multiculturalism broadly, our focus is on the multitude of ways that individuals within families may differ, including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, family structure, nationality, geographic location, and sexual orientation.

The programs in Family and Child Sciences provides understanding of family relationships over the life span. We emphasize the diversity of families and how children and families are influenced by the broader environment and change over time. Students learn to apply this knowledge in working with children, youth and families in various professional settings through practicum experiences. Such experiences occur in a variety of human service agencies and organizations, educational and child care centers, and child and family advocacy organizations. The master's degree provides advanced knowledge of family process, child development, and evidence-based interventions; both a thesis and non-thesis options are available. Two doctoral programs are available: Marriage and Family Therapy and Human Development and Family Science. Both address relational development and enhancement of young adults, couples, and families; distressed families and relational interventions; and the link between parenting process and relational outcomes within the diversity of contemporary families. Both programs are highly research-focused and emphasize preparing the next generation of scholars with the goal of placing students in careers at colleges and universities, research units, and public policy organizations.

The Human Development and Family Studies mission is to promote the health and well-being of individuals and families through research, teaching and service. Programs emphasize both theoretical and practical knowledge about development across the lifespan, family dynamics, teacher and parent education, and prevention and intervention programs that aid individuals and families. The department is committed to embracing diversity, providing educational environments that stress excellence and innovation, and developing exemplary programs and research to serve students, professionals and the larger community.

The Department of Family & Consumer Sciences houses the Family & Child Science Program. A B.S. can be earned in Family & Child Science. An M.S. can be earned with emphasis in Marriage & Family Therapy (leading to licensure) or Family & Child Science. Thesis and non thesis options are available.

The mission of the Department of Child and Family Studies is to educate and inspire students to improve the lives of children, families, and communities. The department emphasizes a systemic approach that prepares students to become child and family human service and education professionals.

Ours is a student-centered department offering bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in family science. Our graduate program offers emphasis areas in aging, adolescent development, couples and family therapy (master's level only), family finance and economics, and family processes (see http://fam.uky.edu/emphasis for more infomration). Our therapy program is fully accredited, and the Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) credential is available for graduates of our bachelor's and master's programs. Within the department we have the Adolescent Development Lab and the Family Interaction Lab, we operate the Family Center with clinical and educational programming, and the departmemnt is affiliated with the college-wide Research Center for Families and Children.

Human Development and Family Studies fosters an understanding of human development and interpersonal relationships through a multidisciplinary and ecological lens, inclusive of biological, psychological, sociological, socio-cultural, and international perspectives. The program recognizes and addresses the central role of diversity and interdependence among families and communities in the process of human development, and promotes basic and applied research, as well as practice, in the service of individuals, families, and society.

Loma Linda University, a health sciences institution, is located approximately 60 miles east of downtown Los Angeles and just south of San Bernardino, California. Within the graduate school is the Department of Counseling and Family Sciences, and the Loma Linda University Marital and Family Therapy Program. Started in 1971, the LLU Marital and Family Therapy Program became accredited in 1975 by the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy, making it one of the first accredited programs in the United States. Superb faculty and excellent clinical facilities combine to provide top quality training for students of the program. In addition to outstanding education, Loma Linda's inland location also provides easy access to mountains, beaches, and desert climates for numerous recreational opportunities. Recognizing our influence through teaching, research, supervised practice and service, the mission of the Department of Counseling and Family Sciences is to address relational needs and concerns of individuals and families over the life course as faced in the contexts of communities and in the larger global society; encourage spirited wholeness by attending to the physical, mental, and social dimensions of human experience; create understanding about humans as relating beings; advance appreciation for human diversity as modeled; advocate for the rights of all humans, for the protection of human dignity, and the value of respect in all human interactions; collaborate with community in terms of training, service, and scholarship in our field; and influence our immediate environment as well as the whole world. The Loma Linda University Masters Program in Marital and Family Therapy is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMTE). On May 22, 2012, the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) has determined that Loma Linda University's Masters' degree in Marital and Family Therapy meets the Senate Bill statutory requirements for Marriage and Family Therapy under Business and Professions Code section (BPC) 4980.36. It is a 90 quarter unit program.

The School of Family and Consumer Sciences is in the College of Applied Arts and offers the B.S. in Family and Consumer Sciences. Family and Child Development is a program option for majors in FCS. The School also offers a M.S. in Family and Child Studies. The M.S. degree in Family and Child Studies is an applied program that provides graduate level study dealing with the needs of families and children. The Family and Child Studies program offers both a Family and Child Studies track and a Child Life Specialist track. Both undergraduate and graduate students also have the opportunity to participate in many ways at the Texas State Child Development Center, which is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

The Children, Youth, and Families concentration prepares students for challenging careers developing research and policy that maximize the potential of children, youth, and families. Changes in the structure and function of households and in the dynamics of neighborhoods, schools and the workforce are just a few of the issues facing families today. In order to influence policies in this area, professionals must understand the fundamentals of human development, the dramatic social, political and economic changes affecting family and community life, and new directions in system and program design. This requires knowledge of relevant theory and practice in the areas of demography, health, education, and social services. The concentration in Children, Youth, and Families addresses the broad spectrum of American policies that affect human development. Graduates of the program assume roles as policy analysts, researchers, educators, program planners, and advocates. The concentration helps students achieve their goals through mentoring and advising, formal courses, colloquia, research responsibilities, and interaction with faculty.Like the other concentrations, the concentration in Children, Youth, and Families builds on the theoretical grounding in economics, political science, and sociology, as well as skills in both qualitative and quantitative research, required by the PhD program of study. The goal of the CYF concentration is to prepare students for careers in university teaching and research, government agencies, and other research and service settings where, as graduates, they will frame new questions and bring their knowledge and analytical skills to bear on social programs and policies related to human development and family functioning.

Child, Youth and Family Studies is where talent goes. The Department has excellent students who come to the Department looking for a place to learn more about children, youth and families and go on to find careers in early childhood education, child care, family service, family financial management and planning, teaching, and marriage and family therapy. The Department offers the advantages of a personally satisfying environment with excellent facilities and high quality faculty and staff. The Department was one of the first in the nation to offer masters degrees through distance technology in addition to outstanding programs on our beautiful campus. In addition to offering programs leading to bachelor's and master's degrees, the Department has Extension Specialists who serve Nebraska in the areas of early childhood education and adolescence.

The master's degree program in human services (HMS) is designed to provide advanced professional education for students who have an undergraduate education in human services or who have completed specific prerequisite courses to prepare them for study in the field.

It is a multidisciplinary degree that prepares students to become competent as human services professionals for multiple roles and settings. The degree contains a core curriculum that teaches skills and concepts needed by all human services professionals and integrates content from several academic concentrations to allow students to develop specific expertise.

Available concentrations:

Alcoholism and Substance Abuse

Child and Family Studies

Gerontology

Social Services Administration

Within some concentrations, students are able to obtain certification. Students are prepared to practice with competency and confidence within all concentrations.

Study in this degree program requires that students examine aspects of their past lives and family experiences in an effort to understand their beliefs, values and biases. This self-awareness is necessary when working with vulnerable populations.

The degree program teaches students to appreciate contemporary and historic human characteristics, issues, and problems and to plan for the delivery of human services in the future. Courses teach students to design, assess, treat, plan for, advocate for, counsel with, manage, and collaborate with individuals, groups, or agencies needing and using human services.

Full time students complete most requirements within two years. Part time students can usually complete the program between 3 and 4 years. All students are required to complete the requirements within 6 years following acceptance into the program.

The Family and Child Studies (M.S.) program is a life-span study of the family from birth to death. This degree program can lead to a certification in Family Life Education from the National Council on Family Relations. The Certified Child and Parenting Specialist credential is also available to those graduates who take the required examination and internships. The Family Life Education Program (B.S.) is the study of the development of children and their families from the prenatal stage throughout the lifespan. The program focuses on interpersonal relationships and developmental tasks of all family members. The program provides three options: Child Development, Marriage and Family, and Gerontology. The Child Development option provides students with a concentration of courses in child development and will strengthen career opportunities by providing students with competencies to work with children and their families. Studies focus specifically about children regarding research supporting the critical need to know how children learn and develop, and how to best meet these needs. Upon completion of the degree, students will be prepared to enter graduate programs with a concentration in Child Development and related areas. Students are prepared to apply for the following certifications: Certified Family Life Educator and Certified Child and Parenting Practitioner. The Marriage and Family option is designed for students who desire to work with families in family life education and/or in family and community service settings. The curriculum has a broad interdisciplinary component including course work in individual development; marital and family systems; professionalism and ethics; and research. Students completing this option are prepared to meet the requirements for Certified Family Life Education national certification and for graduate programs in marriage and family, and related fields. The Gerontology option will provide students with a concentration of courses related to the older adult. Because of the rapid pace at which our society is aging and the high percent of older adults, students will increase their career opportunities as they work with this age in the population. Completion of this option allows the graduate to enter graduate programs in Gerontology and satisfy requirements for the Certified Family Life Educator and other certifications available.

Areas of Study

Child or Adolescent Science/Studies - Master's

Development (Child, Human, or Family) - Undergraduate

Family Science/Studies - Master's

Family Science/Studies - Undergraduate

Older Adults (Gerontology) - Undergraduate

CFLE Approved

Last Updated

September 12, 2013

The discipline of Family Science is vibrant and growing. Visit Family.Science to learn more.